Destroy Jin and conquer Song, and carry the Northern Expedition through to the end

Chapter 46: Pawns Crossing the River in a Race with Chariots (Part )
Dong Cheng is 35 years old this year, in the prime of his life. He himself cannot clearly say where he is from. He only knows that he had difficulty escaping during the Jing Kang period, and was separated from his relatives when he fled to Huaibei. Eventually, he joined Han Shizhong's army.

In Han Shizhong's army, Dong Cheng met Wei Sheng and followed him here.

During this process, many old friends retreated and died. Only Dong Cheng followed Wei Sheng all the way and finally arrived at the south bank of Shushui River at this moment.

As the saying goes, when the sand is washed away by the waves, all that remains is gold, and only gold.

Less than half an hour later, Dong Cheng set off quickly with eight small boats.

Because the boats were carrying ropes and chains to secure the pontoon bridge, the first wave of people crossing the river was not large. Excluding more than twenty laborers, there were only fifty people.

And Wei Chang was among them.

"Sanlang, you're a good swimmer, so you don't need armor. If the boat capsizes, you can still swim back."

Dong Cheng hung his sword on Wei Chang's shoulder and handed him a large shield.

"Boss Dong, you can't talk about the boat capsizing while you're on the boat. It's taboo!" The old soldier of the Song army on the same boat immediately laughed and cursed.

Dong Cheng didn't care and waved his hand: "Go away, I still care about this taboo."

Then, seeing Wei Chang's bitter face, he could only whisper, "If there really are Jin thieves later, you'll have to stay by my side. I'll make sure you're safe... Well, don't blame your father. He can't do anything about it. It's too dangerous to be the first to cross the river. If you don't go to the north bank, how can these people believe that your father will continue to send troops if the crossing fails?"

Wei Chang was stunned. "I don't blame my father, but I haven't had time to eat breakfast yet, so I'm really a little hungry."

Dong Cheng grinned and took out a pancake from his pocket: "Don't eat too much."

As they were talking, several small boats had reached the other side of the river. They found a flat place on the riverbank, and the Song army quickly disembarked and took quick action in the dim light of dawn.

"Li Huo'er, take a few people and tie the ropes around those big trees."

"Yu Yuan, secure the wooden stakes to the iron chain. Remember, make sure they're strong. If the pontoon bridge collapses, you'll have to jump into the river!"

"All boats, hurry back and pull the next wave of people over!"

"The rest of you, take down the barricades and place them over there. Prepare your shields, spears, and bows. Be prepared to serve the Jin thieves if they come."

Wei Chang raised his large shield, placed his spear against it, and looked around vigilantly.

The morning light was thin and there was a light mist around. Even though this place was close to the official road, the grass and trees were relatively sparse and the vision was quite limited.

The chevaux de frise were quickly brought over and placed on the left and right wings, while the middle position was filled by more than ten infantrymen armed with shields and spears.

A single large shield spearman looks clumsy and funny on the plains, but when there are a few more of them, they become an indestructible spear formation.

Behind them, seven archers with divine arms strung their arrows and then crouched behind their spears and shields to conceal their bodies.

In just a moment, a small crescent-shaped formation had taken shape.

Although the fifty or so loyal and righteous soldiers were facing a powerful enemy, everything around them was completely silent, without even the chirping of insects or birds.

Wait, insects chirping and birds singing? Why aren't there insects chirping and birds chirping?
Wei Chang had just felt something strange when an old soldier shouted a warning.

"Commander! There are horses coming! Three of them!"

As soon as the words fell, the sound of horse hooves suddenly became clear. Three armored cavalrymen, each armed with a bow and spear, rushed out from the mist at full speed, charging resolutely towards the small spear formation of the Song army. The men were like tigers and the horses were like dragons. The knights shouted, the horses neighed, and the horses' hooves flew. Although there were only three horses, they ran with the momentum of a thousand horses.

"Hold on with the spear! The golden thieves dare not charge forward!"

Dong Cheng immediately gave a loud order.

Wei Chang swallowed nervously, shrinking most of his body behind the shield, with the butt of his spear stuck in the ground and the tip of the spear pointing forward with slight tremors.

The three Jin armored cavalrymen were originally scouts, responsible for monitoring the movements of the Song army. Initially, they didn't want to alert the enemy, but when they saw that the Song army had landed without sending anyone to investigate, but instead immediately deployed barricades as if facing a formidable enemy, setting up a defensive line with astonishing speed, they finally couldn't hold back. After sending a light cavalryman to report the military situation, they immediately armed themselves and charged out.

They did not expect that they could kill all the dozens of Song soldiers who came ashore with just three horses, but they could not sit idly by.

Even if we cannot stop the construction of the pontoon bridge, we should show our strength and reduce the prestige of the Song army.

Although momentum is something that cannot be seen or touched, and is very mysterious, it does exist.

With enough momentum, a few people can chase and chop down a huge army!
The momentum of an army will also affect the commander's decision, whether to be conservative or radical, defensive or offensive.

Today's battle is destined to be a hasty one. Victory or defeat depends on who has more momentum!

"kill!"

The Jin army's armored cavalry shouted slogans loudly, but turned their bodies honestly. He saw that the Song army's formation did not collapse in fear, nor did they rush towards the tip of the spear foolishly. The leading armored cavalry with spears turned slightly, and while passing by the Song army's spear tips, he suddenly thrust out with the spear in his hand, and used the horse's power to stab the Song army's large shield.

The large shields in the hands of the Song army were as big as door panels. They were not originally soldiers' weapons, but the weapons of the chariots in the chariot formation trained by Wei Sheng.

The shield was thick and heavy, covered with cowhide, and was so heavy that a soldier carrying it for a few hundred steps would tire him out. If the first soldiers to cross the river were not unable to wear armor, they would not have needed to carry such a shield.

But being heavy also has its advantages. The powerful thrust of the Jin cavalry did not penetrate the shield and kill the Song soldiers, but only made the Song soldiers behind the shield stagger.

The Jin army's armored cavalry was immediately startled and confused, but they didn't have time to think and reined in their horses to get out of the way. The two armored cavalrymen behind them drew their bows and arrows, and from a high position, they fired heavy arrows into the back of the spear array.

Li Huoer was leading people to drive wooden stakes on the beach. Although they were only twenty or thirty steps away from the battlefield, they immediately became nervous.

Although everyone knew that the attackers were only the Jin army cavalry, they also knew that since the Jin army cavalry had arrived, the main force of the Jin army could not be far away. Perhaps before long, there would be more and more Jin troops.

There are not many ferries, and unless a floating bridge is built, these dozens of vanguards will sooner or later be killed by the Jin army on the banks of the Shu River.

The Jin army's armored cavalry used traditional Jurchen heavy arrows, which were like small daggers. They had a short range, but could penetrate armor, causing injuries and killing those who were touched.

The arrow flew over, and although it didn't hit anyone, it made several of Li Huoer's subordinates a little panicked.

"We are the pawns crossing the river!" Li Huo'er raised his mallet high and slammed it hard on the wooden stake, signaling his men to hold it steady. "Once the pawns have crossed the river, they can't retreat. It's no use panicking. We'd better hurry up and build the pontoon bridge... uh..."

Before he could finish his words, two more arrows were shot, one of which pierced Li Huoer's arm, leaving a one-foot-long cut.

Li Huoer just glanced at Jin Qi, without screaming or crying out in pain, and even didn't bandage his body. He let the blood flow all over his bare arms and just smashed the wooden hammer hard on the wooden stake.

Seeing Li Huoer so calm, the other Song soldiers also became more determined and no longer cared about the arrows that might fly at them at any time. They just focused on building the pontoon bridge.

(End of this chapter)